BMW secure first triumph as Attiyah surges to victory
Al Attiyah completed the 366km stage, a ‘loop’ starting and ending in Nema, in three hours 49 minutes 48 seconds to finish almost half a minute ahead of Mitsubishi’s Hiroshi Masuoka.
The BMW X3 driver, who moves fourth in the overall standings on the back of his stage victory, said the result was a significant achievement for his team, who have struggled against the might of the Volkswagens and Mitsubishis up to this point.
American Mark Miller brought the first VW home in third, ahead of Mitsubishi veteran Stefan Peterhansel, who remains at the head of the standings after snatching the lead from the VW duo of Carlos Sainz and Giniel De Villiers who tumble down the order after mechanical problems.
Spaniard Sainz, who lost over six hours after suffering electrical problems yesterday, finished the stage in fifth, while champion Luc Alphand, second to team-mate Peterhansel in the overall standings, was sixth.
Peterhansel now leads Alphand by nearly 10 minutes, with third-placed Schlesser over 90 minutes further back after bringing his Ford-powered Buggy home in seventh place yesterday. Yamaha rider Helder Rodrigues broke KTM’s stranglehold in the motorbike category after securing his first-ever stage win on African soil. The Portuguese rider completed the loop in 4:12.55, beating overall leader and reigning champion Marc Coma (KTM Repsol) into second pace. Cyril Despres brought the KTM Gauloises home in third place to consolidate second place overall, although the Frenchman remains the better part of an hour adrift of Coma.
Arjan Brouwer (GINAF) secured his first stage victory in the truck category, while overall leader Hans Stacey (MAN) came home in seventh place to maintain a near three-hour advantage at the head of the standings.
Today’s stage from Nema to Ayoun sees the competitors only having to complete a 280km connection before returning to timed action again on Thursday.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
